Long tube vertical evaporator and the like



Nov. 28, 1939. F. H. WALKER LONG TUBE VERTICAL EVAPAOIRATORAND THE LIKE Filed July- 6, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 nvemor',

Nov. 28; 1939. F. H. WALKER LONG TUBE VERTICAL EVAPORATOR AND THE LIKE Filed July 6, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Invenror'.

Nov. 2s, ,1939.

XF. H. WALKER 2,181,750

LONG TUBE VERTICAL EvAPoRAToR AND THE LIKE 4 sheets-sheet s Filed July 6, 1937 Nov. 28, 1939. F. H. 4WALKER LONG TUBE VERTICAL EVAPORATOR ANDERE LIKE Filed July 6, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATFORNEY.

s Fig 7 Hp CLL Patented Nov. 28, 19.39

UNITED STATES` LONG TUBE VERTICAL EVAPORATOR AND THE LIKE Floyd H. Walker, Harvey, Ill., assignor to Whiting Corporation, Harvey, Ill., a corporation o! Illihois Application July 6, 1937, Serial No. 152,171

11 Claims.

This invention relates to certain improvements in evaporators of the long-tube vertical type.

The type Aof evaporator herein referred to is one which is suspended in a vertical position, the vapor head itself being properly supported and the heating unit and lower portions of the structure depending therefrom. Inasmuch as. the heating unit is connected to the lower portion of the vapor head it follows that the entire-weight of the heating unit and any liquor contained therein must be suspended. Another object of the invention is to provide a type of construction such that this weight may be' properly transferred to the supporting framework of the evaporator without having to transfer said weight thru the lower shell of the vapor head itself. [n other words this feature of the invention relates to the provision of a construction in which the heating unit and other depending parts, altho directly connected to the lower shell of the vapor head, are nevertheless vthemselves directly supported and sustained by the transfer of forces directly to the framework and not thru the lower shell of the vapor head.

In lconnection with the foregoing it is an obect to provide suitable shoes or pads built into Jr constituting'a portion-of the vapor head and so arranged that they not only serve to carry zhe weight of the vapor head itself but also to :ransfer the load of the heating element and related parts directly to the supporting frameyork. In this connection it is a further object :o so arrange these shoes that suitable reinforcing webs may be built into the lower portion of the Japor head to reinforce the same and at the ;ame time ensure transferring the forces due to '.he weight of the heating element directly to the supporting shoes.

In connection with the support and installa- ',ion of these evaporators, it frequently happens .hat consecutive evaporator units are located ide by side andare thus supported by the framevork. In those cases in which the vapor heads tre brought close together` it is nevertheless de- ;irable to be able to carry the supporting shoes o the framework in such a manner that the same rame member will accommodate the shoes from )oth of the adjacent units. In this connection t is an object of the invention to so arrange'the :upporting shoes of the diierent units that they tre staggered with respect to each other so that he consecutive evaporators vmay be brought very :lose together and be supported by the same 'rame members.

Other objects and uses of the invention will (rc1. s-27) appear from a detailed description of same which consists of the features of construction and combina-tions of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: 5

Figure 1 shows a vertical elevation viewj of a typical construction of evaporator unit embodying the features of the present invention; the upper portions of the three adjoining units being shown, so as to show. the relationoi the con- 10 secutive units to each other;

Figure 2 shows a vertical longitudinal section through the vapor head, the heating unit and the lower conical inlet section, being on an enlarged scale as compared with Figure 1; 15

Figure 3 shows the top plan view of the unit with the catchall adjacent thereto; and corresponding to Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a 'cross section through the vapor head showing also the top tube sheet, and is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 shows a detailed side-view of one of the supporting feet on enlarged scale showing the attachment of the same to the lower portion of the vapor head and the upper portion of the heating unit arrows, and

Figure 8 'shows a vertical section on thel line 8-8 of Figure 7 looking in the direction of the arrows. y

Referring now to the drawings, the construction illustrated includes the vapor head 20 and the heating unitv 2|. Generally speaking, the evaporator is supported by a suitable framework', being suspended froml above; and in the arrange- 40 ment illustrated this is effected by means of structural members 22 and `23. The details of this construction will be explained hereinafter:

The heating, element itself includes the top and 'bottom tube sheets.` 24 and 25, between which 45 are extended the liquor tubes 26. These tubes are preferably expanded into the upper and lower tube sheets in rigid fashion according to Well understood practice. As already suggested herein, it is customary in shop practice to expand the tubes into the tube sheet while the tubes lie in a horizontal direction so that they naturally take a slight amount of bend or deflection during this operation. The amount of this bendl is quite small but mayamount to as much as onei half or one and one half inchesin a. twenty-foot tube length. n

Surrounding the lower portion of the tube bundle is an enclosing shell 21, the lower end of which is preferably welded to the outer portion of the lower tube sheet 25. This lower tube sheet however, extends a slight distance beyond the shell 21 so as to establish a flange as shown in several of the -gurea The shell section 21 extends up to a position somewhat above the center of the heating element where a ring 28 is welded to it, said ring extending out a suilcient distance to establish a flange which constitutes the lower portion of the annular steam inlet distributive chamber 29. Preferably the ring 28 is reinforced to the shell 21 at various points around the circumference by the webs 38a which are welded in place.

From the position-of the ring 28 there extends upwardly the circular baille cylinder 30, said baille cylinder 30 terminating at point 3| somewhat below the position of the upper tube sheet 24 so as to establish an annular opening 32 thru which the steam will fiow from the annular distributing chamber 29 into contact with the upper portions of all the tubes of the bundle, and the upper tube sheet. It is to be noted that inasmuch-as the baille cylinder 30 does not have to carry any load it can be made of considerably lighter' stock than the body portion of the shell 21, thus effecting a considerable saving in cost of material as compared to an arrangement in which this baffle constitutes an upward extension of the shell 21.

There is an upper shell section 33 which extends upwardly from the edge of the ring 28 to the position of the edge of the upper tube sheet 24. This upper shell section 33 is welded at the bottom and top edges to the ring 28 and to'the tube sheet 24 so as to establish very strong connections at these points.

At a suitable position the steam inlet connec- 4 tion"34 is Welded to the upper shell section 33. The incoming steam.from this connection 34 is received into the annular distributing chamber 29 where it is uniformly distributed around the entire unit and then ilows upwardlyover the upper edge 3| into contact with all of the tubes of the bundle, and the upper tube sheet and from this point the steam flows downwardly around the outside of the tubes and delivers its heat through the tube waus .to the upfiowin'g liquor contained within the tubes.

It will be noted that the expansion and contraction of-the tubes between the upper and lower tube sheets 24 and 25 will place astrainon the outer shell 21--33 in those cases in which the temperature-f'coefcients of expansionefor thel tubes andv shell are diiferent .from each other. In order to relieve the outer shell of strain and to eliminate unnecessary buckling of the tubes I prefer to place an expansion joint 36 in the lower shell section as indicated-particularly in f Figure 1 herein. The expansion joint 36 isformed by nar-ing the outer shell outwardly, preferably by a circular section 31 -which is welded to the upper and lower portions of the shell. and establlishes in effect a corrugation surrounding the shell at the point indicated. The details of construc- "tion of the expansion joint 31 are largely optional with the designer, but a simple arrangement is one in which'the ring 31 is made of two portions 38 and' 39, each of which is of ogee cross section, the two portions 38 and 39 being edgewelded together and' each portionthereof being portions together with butt-welds to the flanges so as to welded Vto the corresponding shell section 21. It is noted that the ogee sections have the end anges to the edges of which the welds are madei By this arrangement the bending strains in the ogee sections take place at points considerably removed from the welded joints so that said welded joints themselves are not subjected to bending strains but only to direct endwise pulls or thrusts.

The ,incoming liquor to be treated is to be delivered intothe lower ends of the tubes at the j position of the lower tube sheet 25. For this purpose there is provided a lower truncated conical -between the cone and the flange 4|.v This portion 42 is made of sufficient vertical dimension so that when a workmen enters the feed section 40 thru its bottom opening 43 with a tube expanding tool or similar implement he can use the same while working upon the lower ends of the outermost tubes and those which lie close to the cylindrical portion 42 of the conical section. It will be noted in v-thisconnection that if the slant of the cone were to be carried directly up to the position of the ange 4| it would be very diiicult, if not impossible, to make use of such a tool when working on the outermost rings of the tubes.A

The inlet pipe for supply of incoming liquor 45 is connected to the lower end of the feed section 40, either directly, or thru the medium of a short supplemental conical section 44. When the short conical section 44 is used it is connected to the lower end of the feed section 40, and the opening in the feed section 40 is then made large enough so that the workmen can get in and out of the conical sec-tion after the portion 44 has been disconnected therefrom. Y

, The vapor head 2li-includes a central cylindrical portion 46 together with top and bottom dished and flanged heads 41 and 48, respectively. These 46, 41 and 48 are preferably'edge welded provide a very smooth and finished construction, and so as to remove the welded joints from the bends at the point of junction of the flanges with the dished portions.

Preferably there is a short ange or ring 49 Awelded to the opening in the lower dished sheet 48 andextending down-ia Vshortf-distanceifand a flange ring 50 is then welded to the lower edge of the ring 49. This flange ring 50 in turn is directly connected to the edge portion of the ring 5| which is welded to the vcylinder member 33; andif desired a series of reinforcements 52V may be provided for giving additional stiffness to the ring `5| at .the point where it is connected to the cylindrical portion 33.

It will be noted that when the heating unit is assembled into the vapor head, the upper portion ofthe heating unit, that is the portion above the ring 5|, reaches .up a certain distance into the body ofthe vapor head. A baille or. dei-lector 53, ypreferably of dished form, is located within the vapor head and set some distance above the upper tube sheet 24, bei'ng suitably supportedat that position. This deector 53 is preferably concave downwardly and is separated from the upper tube sheet a sufdcient distance to enable liquor flowing up thru the tubes to be caught by such deflector and thrown out sidewise where it will then collect in the lower portion of the vapor head and around theAupwardly projecting portion of the heatingfrom saidopening duringthe manufacture there- I of. Preferably also a' short cylindrical ring 55 is placed around the opening in the upper vapor head sheet 41, being welded thereto and provided with a flange 56 to which-the cover 54 may be secured in the well understood manner.

It will be understood that when installed the heating unit 2l depends from the vapor head in the position shown particularly in Figure 1. The vapor head itself is suitably supported and carried by the beams 22 and 23 already referred to.-

The evaporator is supported by the frame members 22 and 23. These frame members are close to the vapor head whic-h in turn may be provided with suitable shoes or pads which rest upon theY would be subjected to a very heavy strain requiring the use of very much heavier stock than would otherwise be needed to withstand any internal pressure. I have therefore provided suitable means for supporting the vapor head itself directly on the members 22 and 23 and for also transmitting the load of the heating unit and related parts together with the contained liquor directly to the supporting shoes without having to transfer said load toV the lower sheet of the vapor head itself. This construction I will now explain in detail:

At the sides of the unit adjacent to the lower portion of the vapor head are the shoes 51 and 58 which rest directly upon the frame members already referred to. These members are shown in detail in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8. Each of them includes a bottom shoe or pad 59, which is adapted to rest directly on the frame member; and extending upwardly from and secured to that shoe are the side webs 60 and 6|. These side webs are preferably welded to the shoe itself and also to the face of the vapor head where they overlie I the same.

There is a cross-bar 62 extending between the side plates 60 and 6|; and a third plate or gusset web 63 is located between the side plates 60 and 6|, said gusset webv being formed on the same 'curvature as the lower portion of the vapor head itself and reaching underneath said lower portion to the position of the-neck 49 and flangejl).

The edge of this gusset web 63 is welded to the' the medium of the gusset web B3 to the position of the shoe 59 and then to the frame member, on which said shoe rests. A

There may also be provided the internal rein- Amay flow to the nipple.

It is thus seenthat the load of the p forcing gusset webs 64 on the inside lower corners of the vapor head preferably in line with the gusset webs 63 said webs 64 being Welded in place and serving as additional reinforcement. of the lower portion of the vapor head at the. point where-the loadv of the heating unit is to be transferred sidewise to the position of each shoe. Supplemental gusset webs 65 may also be provided at various spacings around the lower outside face of the vapor head and welded thereto so as to provide additional reinforcement and stiffness thereof.v

Referringparticularly to Figures l and 2, I

have therein shown in detail a satisfactory connection for removal of condensate from the lower portion of the heating unit, said condensate representing condensed steam collecting in the lower portion of the heating unit. This condensate connection includes a short tube or nipple 66 extended thru the side sheet of the shell 21 at. a point close to the bottom tube sheet 25; and around th'e inner inlet end of said nipple 66 there is placed a curvedbaiile sheet 61, the same being welded to the inside face of the cylindrical shell 21 and having its lower edge located somewhat above the lower tube sheet 25 so as to provide a condensate opening 68 thru which the condensate The vupper end of this baille 61 is closed by a plate 69 so that a liquid seal is established by the baille and the plate 69 thus making it necessary for the condensate to ilow to the nipple only thru the lower passage 68. As a consequence, any vapor or entrained gas is prevented from finding its way thru the nipple 66 and a perfect liquid seal is established at the lower end of the heating element. Furthermore by this arrangement the elevation ofthe condensate in the lower portion o f the heating unit established. By this means the nipple 66 `may belocated some distance above the lower tube sheet permitting easy bolting of the same to the is regulated and a uniform discharge thereof is conical section 42, but the elevation of liquor on A the lower tube sheet will be small due to the fact that the baille 61 comes down close to the lower tube sheet. If desired, another condensate connection 69a may be provided at a higher elevation than the-nipple 66. This connection |9armay be normally sealed, but may be used in any emerremoving non-condensable gas from the interior of the shell and above the position of any condensate which has collected in the lower portion of the unit. This nipple 10 may be connected to any suitablepoint for removal thereof so as to keep the interior of the shell effectively vented at all times of such non-condensable gas.

lIn connection with the foregoing it will be noted that I have provided an arrangement such that the steam is introduced into the upper portion of the heating unit and flows downwardly around the tubes to a position at the lower end thereof where the condensate collects and that the noncondensable gases are also removed from the lower portion of the heating unit. This arrangement insures a very perfect transfer of non-condensable gases' downwardly together with the steam and vapors flowing down thru the shell 21 thus insuring a. very perfect and complete re- Nso moval of the non-condensable gases and thereby correspondingly improving Athe operation of the unit as a whole.

` Referring again to the vapor head, as the' liquor rises from the upper ends of the tubes 26 and splashes against the baille or deector 53, the vapor is collected in the vapor head and is delivered through the vapor delivery connection 1|. Thence said vapor flows to the catchalP 12 where any entrained liquor is further recovered.

portion of the heating unit, and is removed by the connection to a suitable point for disposition. Usually the liquor removed from the catchall through the connection 14 is carried to the same disposition point as the liquor from the connection 15.

If desired, suitable manholes may be provided in the vapor head, such as at 16, and in the lower portion of the heating unit shell, such as at 11, with suitable covers therefor. It is generally convenient and desirable to place a pair of peepholes 18 in the vapor head in position to observe the action of the liquor and vapor rising from the tubes 26, and such peepholes being provided with glasses, and preferably located in alignment with the lower portion of the baille 53 so that the angle of vision from the eye of an observer looking through a peephole will embrace the space above the baille as well as the space between the bailie and the upper tube sheet. A lamp may be provided for casting a beam of light through one peephole 18 to shine against the materials within the vapor head so that the action may be better observed by looking through the lother peephole.

The downowing steam in the heating unit causes a substantial sweeping action, tending to carry the film of condensate down along the tube surfaces to the lower end of the unit, for collection on the bottom tube sheet and removal through the nipple 66.

The manhole 11 serves as a convenient means to gain access to the lower portions of the tubes and the lower tube sheet, so that scale and other matter may be easily removed from ltime to time in order to keep the condensate nipple 66 and baille 61 open and free for properoutow of condensate.

While I have herein shown and described only -a single embodiment of the features of my present invention, still I do not intend to limit myself thereto except as I may do so in the claims to follow.4

I claim:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a heating unit includinga cylindrical shell, upper and lower tube sheets rigidly connected to the upper and lower end portions of said shell, a series of tubes extending between said tube sheets and having their end portions rigidly Connected to the tube sheets, a suitable inlet connection for steam or other heating medium into such shell permitting introduction of said steam or other heating medium into the shell and around the tubes for the purpose ofheating the tubes, an outwardly extending ange rigidly connected to said shell at a position beneath its upper end, together with a vapor head in connection with the upper portion of said heating unit, said vapor head being of cylindrical form and provided with dished land flanged upper and lower closures, both of said closures being convex outwardly, said vapor head being of greater diameter than the heating unit, there being a central opening in the lower closure of the vapor head to receive the upper portion of the heating unit, means for connecting the lower portion of the vapor head directly to said flange aforesaid, together with means for supporting all of said parts in vertical and pendant fashion, said means comprising a series of. shoes located around the lower,portion of the vapor head'and rigidly connected to the vapor head for the direct transfer of stresses from theyapor head to structural elements upon which said shoes are resting, together with reinforcing plates extending directly from the position of the connection of the vapor head to the ange aforesaid. tosaid shoes, for the direct transfer of the weight and load of the heating unit to the shoes, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, thecombination of the cylindrical heating unit includingupper and lower tube sheets, a series of tubes extending between the said tube sheets, and an 4upper end portion of the heating unit, a direct 'connection between the lower closure and the flange aforesaid, shoes located adjacent to -the lower portion of the vapor-head, supporting connections from the lower portion of the vapor head directly to said shoes, and other supporting connections from the shoes directly to the position of connection of the lower portion of the vapor head to said flange, whereby the load due to the weight of the heating unit and contained material is transmitted directly to the shoes through said connection and irrespective of the lower portion of the vapor head, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vertical heating 4unit including upper and lower tube sheets, a series of tubes extending between the said tube sheets, a surrounding cylindrical shell enclosing said tubes between the tube sheets, means permitting introduction of steam or other heating medium. into said shell and around the tubes for the purpose of heating the tubes, together with a vapor head surrounding and enclosing the upper portion of the heating unit, said vapor head being of generally cylindrical form and provided with dished upper and lower closures, there being an opening in 'the lower closure for the reception of the upper plemental thereto directly connecting the shoes to the extreme lower portion of the vapor head adjacent to the point of connection thereof tothe shell of the heating unit for the purpose of transferring the load of said heating unit directly to the shoes irrespective of the vaporhead, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a cylindrical heating unit including upper and lower tube sheets, a series of tubes extending between said tube sheets, an enclosing shell surrounding said tubes and extending between the upper and lower tube sheets and con- Mcted to said tube sheets, a vapor head surrounding and enclosing the upper portion of the heating unit, said vapor head being of larger la than the heating unit and including upper and lover closures, mean.: for connecting the lower closure o! the vapor head directly to the heating un, a series of importing shoes around the lower portion o! the vapor head, means for connecting iucirshoes directly to the lower portion of the vapor head, and supplemental means extending from said shoes directly to the point of connection of. the vapor head with the heating unit and rigidly connected to said connection, whereby the load o f the heating unit together with contained material is transferred' directly to said shoes irrespective of the lower closure of the vapor head, substantially as described.

5. In -a device of the class described, the combination of a Vertical cylindrical heating unit of one diameter having therein means for transferring heat from steam or other heating medium to liquor to be heated, a vapor head of greater diameter surrounding/and enclosing the upper portion of the heating/unit, means for connecting the lower end of said vapor head directly to the heating unit, load supporting elements adjacent to the lower portion of the vapor head, means for transmitting the load of the vapor head to the load supporting elements and means for transmitting the load of the heating unit to said load supporting elements independently of the Vapor head, whereby the load of the heating unit and the contained material is supported independently of the vapor head and at an elevation adjacent to the lower portion of the vapor head, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vertical cylindrical heating unit of one diameter, a vapor head of larger diameter surrounding and enclosing the upper portion of said heating unit, means for directly connecting the lower` portion of said vapor head to the heating unit, a series of shoes around the lower portion of the vapor head, gusset webs extending from said shoes directly to the vapor head for direct support thereof, and other gusset webs extending irom the shoes past the vapor head directly to the point of connection of the vapor head with the heating unit for direct transfer of the load of said heating unit and the contained liquor therein to the shoes irrespective of the vapor head, substantially as described.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vapor head, a heating unit extending into the lower portion of the vapor head and extending downwardly below the vapor head, means for sealing the vapor head and heating unit together, a common supporting element for both the vapor head and the heating unit and located adjacent to the vapor head, and means to transmit the loads of the vapor head and of theheating unit independently to said supporting element, substantially as descri 8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vapor head, a heating unit extending into the lower portion of the vapor head and extending downwardly below the vapor head, means for sealing the vapor head and heating unit together, a common supporting element for both the vapor head and the heating unit, means to transmit the load of the vapor head to said supporting element, and independent means connecting the heating unit at a point close to the vapor head, to the supporting element, whereby the vapor head and the heating unit are independently connected to the supporting element, and whereby the portion of the heating unit below the Vapor head is suspended from the supporting element and is free to expand and contract, substantially as described.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vapor head, a heating unit beneath the same, means for sealing the heating unit I to the lower portion of the vapor head, a common supporting element for both the vapor head and the heating unit, means to transmit the load of the vapor head to said supporting element, and independent means connecting the heating unit at a point close to the vapor head, to the supporting element, whereby the vapor head and the heating unit are independently connected to the supporting element, and whereby the portion of the heating unit below the vapor head is suspended from the supporting element and is free to expand and contract, substantially as described.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vapor head having a bottom closure, a heating unit having its upper portion extending through said bottom closure into communication with the interior of the vapor head, said heating unit extending downwardly a substan..al

distance below said bottom closure, means to seal the bottom closure and the heating unit together, supporting elements in proximity to the bottom closure, means to transmit the load of the vapor head directly to the supporting elements, and other means to transmit the load of the heating unit to the supporting elements independentlyof the vapor head and vapor head load -transmitting means, substantially as described.

1l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a vapor head having a bottom closure, a heating unit having its upper portion extending through said bottom closure into communication with the interior of the vapor head, said heating unit extending downwardly a substantial distance below said bottom closure, a ring sealed to the heating unit adjacentto the bottom closure, means to seal said ring to the bottom closure, supporting elements in proximity to the bottom closure, means to transmit the load of the vapor head directly to the supporting ele-L ments, and means to transmit the load of the heating unit iromvl the ring aforesaid directly to the supporting elements independently of the vapor head and Vapor head load transmitting means, substantially as described.

FLOYD H. warm. 

